Locke
Classic Thinkers series (Band Nr. 1)
1. Auflage Dezember 2012
224 Seiten, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
John Locke (1632-1704) has a good claim to the title of the
greatest ever English philosopher, and was a founding father of
both the empiricist tradition in philosophy and the liberal
tradition in politics. This new book provides an accessible
introduction to Locke's thought. Although its primary focus
is on the Essay Concerning Human Understanding, it also discusses
the Two Treatises on Government, the Essay on Toleration, and the
Reasonableness of Christianity, and draws on materials from
Locke's correspondence and notebooks to shed light on the
contexts of these major works. Locke's arguments for his
central claims are subjected to close scrutiny, and his replies to
his main critics evaluated.
A.J. Pyle takes as his guiding theme Locke's own maxim, that
God has given humans enough knowledge for our needs. The
philosopher who emerges from these pages is a strikingly modern
figure, anti-metaphysical in his attitude both to science and to
theology, anti-authoritarian in his politics, and cautiously
optimistic about human progress. Locke is indeed one of the
founding figures of the Enlightenment, but for Pyle the Lockean
Enlightenment is a modest affair of slow and hesitant groping
towards the light.
As well as serving as an introduction to Locke for students, the
book also helps to correct a number of significant errors and
misunderstandings that have marred our understanding of Locke and
will spark discussion and debate amongst scholars of his work.
Introduction: The Unity of Locke's Thought 1
1 Life, Contexts and Concerns 8
2 The Theory of Ideas 31
3 Human Knowledge and Its Limits 54
4 The Material World 77
5 God and Religion 101
6 The Soul and the Afterlife 125
7 The Two Treatises of Government 147
8 Problems of Church and State 173
Notes 196
Select Bibliography 208
Index 214
recommended both for students and scholars of early modern
philosophy, not least because of the refreshingly coherent and
unified picture it presents of the thought one of England's
'premier league' philosophers."
Metascience
"This book is an excellent commentary on the major areas of
Locke's philosophy. It is informed with a deep respect for
the complexity of Locke's thought and a wide reading in the
sophisticated contemporary literature, both on Locke and more
widely."
John Rogers, Keele University
"A superb introduction to the philosophy of John Locke. It is
balanced and insightful in its interpretations and displays a keen
grasp of the whole sweep of Locke's philosophy. While there
is much here for the scholar, this book is just the right length
and pitch for an undergraduate student text."
Peter Anstey, University of Otago, New Zealand
"A. J. Pyle has written an excellent book on the philosophy of John
Locke. It is thorough, scholarly, historically informed, lucidly
written, provocative and engaging. It leads the reader through
thorny and conceptually difficult material with an effortless
fluidity that neither sacrifices precision nor loses the reader in
minutiae. This volume should be of interest to undergraduates,
graduate students and non-specialists who are interested in Locke
and his contribution to Western philosophy. I highly recommend
it."
Jan-Erik Jones, Southern Virginia University
